Celebrities commemorate March 1 Independence Movement with running, shows

Singer Sean and actors Park Bo-gum, Im Si-wan and Choi Si-won, along with others, take part in a marathon held in commemoration of the March 1 Independence Movement. [YG ENTERTAINMENT]

 
Korean celebrities are commemorating the March 1 Independence Movement in different ways.
 
Singer Sean held a marathon with the nonprofit Habitat Korea and was joined by fellow actors Park Bo-gum, Im Si-wan, Choi Si-won and more.
 
In the marathon, which was held for the third time, participants can run for either 3.1 kilometers (1.9 miles) or 31 kilometers and donate to Habitat Korea. Around 148 million won ($113,000) collected by the runners has been donated, according to Sean’s agency YG Entertainment.
 
“We have to remember the independence that ordinary people achieved by taking out to the streets,” Sean said. “I ran with a grateful mind, remembering their brave lives and their descendants.”
 

Actor Song Hye-kyo [NEWS1]

 
Actor Song Hye-kyo has once again teamed up with Prof. Seo Kyoung-duk of Sungshin Women’s University to make a collaborative YouTube video titled “The lady of the Provisional Government, Sudang Jeong, Jeong-Hwa,” to introduce a female independence activist named Jeong Jeong-hwa in both Korean and English.
 
The video was directed by Prof. Seo and funded by actor Song. This is the 12th year that the two have worked together to raise awareness on Korean history.
 
The two have carried out various promotional events such as making and distributing leaflets about a movement in Los Angeles to help in the fight for Korea’s independence during the Japanese Colonial Rule (1910-1945). The leaflets were donated to the Korean Cultural Center Los Angeles.
 
“[Song] Hye-kyo and I have been making leaflets, sign boards and works on historical landmarks in Korea,” Seo said. “We hope you look forward to the next project. We thank you for your support.”
 
Song also took part in narrating an MBC documentary series based on the “comfort women,” a euphemistic name given to the victims of the Japanese military’s wartime sexual slavery, that aired Wednesday.

BY YOON SO-YEON [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]